UK knife law:

UK knife law allows you to carry non-locking pocket knives with a blade length up to 3 inches (7.62 cm) with a valid reason.

You are allowed to carry a knife that exceeds these guidelines in public, but please remember: you then do need a good reason to carry it. Gov.uk has the following to say on good reasons to carry a knife:

“Examples of good reasons to carry a knife in public can include:

• taking knives you use at work to and from work
• taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
• the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, television, historical re-enactment or religious purposes, eg the kirpan some Sikhs carry

A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.”

Abuse is still illegal

Also remember that using any knife (legal or illegal) in any threatening way is also illegal. So using your (legal) Swiss Army knife in any threatening way is still illegal.

UK Friendly

Because of the conditions listed above, we like to call these knives UK-friendly instead of UK Legal. Knives that are for sale on our website and that are not UK Friendly are fine as long as you keep them in your own home, or on your own property.

Knife free zones

There may be zones where you are not permitted to carry any knife at all, regardless of size or locking mechanism. As you may understand this often is the case in sports stadiums, bars, clubs, city centres, gyms and other crowded places.